Shows & Happenings

Did you know that one of the high fashion pieces Gwen Stefani wore in her music video “Misery” was made by a Filipino designer?

The all-red dress Gwen wore in parts of the music video was designed by celebrated Filipino designer Rocky Gathercole! Known for his outlandish and eccentric designs, Rocky has created pieces for big-name artists which include Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Carrie Underwood, and Ariana Grande.

But before becoming an acclaimed designer, Rocky went through some rough patches in his life, which include wandering the streets of Manila, and having difficulties finding a job, due to not finishing high school. All of those changed when he landed a job as a designer in Saudi Arabia in 1989. Even if he did not have any formal training in fashion design, Rocky’s fondness for sketching impressed his employers—imagine, he was aable to design a gown in a matter of minutes!

Rocky on the streets of New York with his models.

Fast forward to more than 20 years in the industry, Rocky has made a name for himself worldwide, and is now ready to give back to fellow Filipinos. From July 15 to 23, Rocky will be in Manila to share more about his story, his designs, and his upcoming fashion show Rock the Runway, which will be held at Avalon Hollywood on July 28, 6PM-10PM (US time). Making this fashion show special for him is that proceeds will go to Bantay Bata Foundation, an organization aimed at helping abused children.